Saturday, March 04, 2000
Kreke, Fenwick eliminate CCD
BY CAREY HOFFMAN
Enquirer contributor
Middletown Fenwick got hot early. Fenwick's Joe Kreke got hot late.
Those were the two principal reasons behind Fenwick's 65-56 victory over Cincinnati Country Day Friday in the Division IV boys basketball upper bracket sectional final before 1,200 fans at Loveland High School.
Fenwick (16-7), the sectional's No.2 seed, advanced to meet either Fort Loramie or Sidney Lehman in a district final game at 6p.m. on March 10 at University of Dayton Arena. No.3 seed CCD finished 18-5.
Fenwick's ability to attack CCD's favored matchup zone was the game's early story line. The Falcons came out hot behind forward John Mulligan, who had 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter. Fenwick scored 14 of the game's first 17 points and forced CCD into man-to-man defense.
That looked like an advantage for CCD, as it increased the Indians' aggressiveness and put Fenwick into serious foul trouble.
CCD pulled within four points in the second quarter, then outscored Fenwick 11-5 out of halftime to pull within 40-38 with 5:19 to go in the third. With Fenwick's Mulligan and Kyle Wolf saddled with four fouls each, CCD seemed certain to take control of the game.
But Kreke got there first. The slender, 5-foot-10 junior, the son of Fenwick coach Pat Kreke, drove around defenders for two layups. Then he found Matt Burns open under the basket for an easy lay-in. Kreke added a foul shot and then a drive for another layup in the final eight seconds of the third quarter, capping a 9-2 Fenwick run and putting the Falcons back in control at 49-40.
“We were really struggling with continuity because of all the substituting we had to do,” Pat Kreke said. “To be very honest, Joe Kreke took over the game.”
“I knew we were in foul trouble,” Joe Kreke said. “I love to go to my left hand, and I guess they didn't know it, because they kept giving that to me.”
Kreke had 13 of his game-high 15 points in the second half.
FENWICK (65) — Martin 3 1 7, Kreke 4 7 15, Wolf 3 1 7, McCormick 3 1 9, Mulligan 5 1 12, Burns 3 3 9, Studer 2 2 6. Totals: 23 15 65.
CCD (56) — Smith 2 0 5, Allen 2 1 5, Cohen 3 1 7, Floering 4 0 8, Torlone 3 7 13, Fulton 0 2 2, Moundrell 1 0 3, Wright 1 0 2, Mitchell 3 5 11. Totals: 19 16 56.
Fenwick ....... 21 14 14 16—65
CCD ....... 13 14 13 16—56
3-pointers: F - Wolf, McCormick 2, Mulligan; CCD - Smith, Moundrell. Records: MF 16-7, CCD 18-5.
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